Azimuth 2020


How do you set your cart's azimuth in the 21st century?
fuzztone

Showing 6 responses by catcher10

Well what you mention is what I meant: maximize the minimum, minimize the numbers, however you want to describe it.
Crosstalk always falls under the discussion of azimuth, hence the title of this thread and it was mentioned, so people are talking about it.
The point is, you can adjust one or the other till you die as the setting will never be 100% perfect, considering you have zero control over the playing surface and how a record was mixed, mastered, cut and pressed, even test records vary.

I have been using TTs for about 40yrs and have had many tables and different carts including some 3x as much as what I have now. Back in the day setting azimuth by eye and using a volt meter never got me the sonic results I get now with the Foz. Once plugged in takes less than 5 min to get all readings.
My soundstage is beyond wall to wall, I have almost no surface noise and wide dynamics and high resolution.

I'm very happy! 
I don't know all the inner workings of the Foz, but based on the stated method of crosstalk, I can tell you it is not optimizing azimuth, which means it is not optimizing what the needle can extract from the record.
I guess you should contact Jim Fosgate and help him create a better and more accurate device.
I have done a crosstalk measurement using a DMM after setting with Foz, my results gave me a crosstalk of more than 32dB using 1KHz tone, which lines up with the Lyra spec. Also using the Wally chart the channel difference is less than 1dB.
I'm sure this is not always spot on every time, but it remains the range I get when I do test.
Again, everyone should align with what they are comfortable with and then listen and reset as needed till you hear improvement. Then sit back and enjoy...why beat your head against the wall?? 
It will never be 100% perfect, analog records and turntables are a mechanical moving physical media, get as close as you can. 
The most accurate method I understand for cross talk is using a digital volt meter and measuring the output of a 1KHz tone. This method is difficult as you really need a filter so you are only measuring in the 1KHz range, this way the measurement is not bouncing all over the place.

This is why I use the Fozgometer, since it has that filter built in, the analog meter is very still easy to read. Measuring for cross talk is to play a 1KHz tone in R channel and measure the L channel, then reverse. You can use the Foz to do this, just disconnect the R cable and the meter will drop to a very low level since it is measuring the info in the L channel. Note the needle position, then adjust based on other reading.

When I do this, the meter results are similar to exact. 1) L and R readings are within half a hash mark. 2) Channel balance the needle is dead on ZERO with the mono 1KHz tone.
The real results are the soundstage is wall to wall, bass is deep and articulate and very importantly surface noise is greatly reduced and with new records almost gone. 
Still good to check it regardless what level cart you have. But I understand what you say......My Delos after I complete all setup, points straight down, no offset.
I'm pretty happy.....

roberttdid
185 posts
06-22-2020 5:39am
catcher10, the problem with the cross-talk method is it is really only accurate if the cartridge is manufactured properly, and even then works best with simpler stylus designs.
Well that is easy, if it is not able to be setup right and you find the cart body skewed drastically then.....send the cartridge back and get a new one or better built cartridge.
There is no RIGHT or WRONG setting or answer, only the best scenario for your situation and setup. You need to decide do you want the most accurate channel balance or the most accurate crosstalk measurement? 

Then sit back and enjoy.